Jeff Gordon should have easily made the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2012 and been closer to the top five in points than 10th where he finished.

But his Hendrick Motorsports team got off to a slow start as he finished 26th or worse in three of the first five races thanks to a couple of wrecks and some bad luck. The following week, he led 329 laps at Martinsville only to get wrecked when Clint Bowyer (more on him later) tried to make it three-wide on a late restart.

NASCAR’s Top 25 drivers: Jeff Gordon's retaliation against Clint Bowyer set off this crew confrontation in the garage at Kansas. (AP Photo)

Following a string of four consecutive finishes of worse than 20th, Gordon found himself just 24th in the standings 10 races into the season.

He then went on the tear that led to his barely making it into the Chase, including a victory at Pocono where rain came at the right time for Gordon.

Still, there were disappointments along the way, including Denny Hamlin outracing him for the win at Atlanta. A week later, Gordon made the Chase as Kyle Busch imploded at Richmond (a loose lugnut) and Gordon’s car miraculously came to life after a rain delay.

But the high of making the Chase came crashing down a week later as Gordon had his throttle partially stick at Chicagoland Speedway, where he wrecked, ruining virtually any hope of a championship.

Gordon then hit another low before the season was over. In the next-to-last race at Phoenix, Gordon retaliated against Bowyer after Bowyer accidentally ran into him on the track. Bowyer’s crew went after Gordon, who was ushered away from the melee but was later docked 25 points and fined $100,000.

“We had some good runs and things but the most frustrating part about this season was just the fact that just every time we started to get momentum, it got broken up by something,” Gordon said.

“That is what prevented us from being a bigger threat for the championship. Our cars were fast enough to do it but it takes more than that.”

Highlight

The win at Pocono in a rain-shortened event was the “good” highlight of Gordon’s season. He started the race 27th, worked his way near the front and then, running sixth on the restart, was able to get in the inside line just before the leaders wrecked and took the lead. The rain soon fell and Gordon was declared the winner.

He led the final eight laps before the rains came and ended the day. Considering that he had led in 13 races prior to Pocono and didn’t win, it didn’t matter how he won, just that he did. Another boost was that he had both of his kids in victory lane for the first time.

The win was somewhat overshadowed, though, by tragedy as a fan was killed by a lightning strike following the event during the storm that ended the race.

Low point

The Chicago wreck couldn’t have come at a worse time for Gordon. He had just come off a third and two seconds to sneak into the Chase and with that momentum was considered a championship contender. Then his throttle hung at Chicago, he finished 35th, and any hopes he had at a championship disappeared. Even a third and two seconds after that race moved him to just sixth in the standings.

Defining moment

While unrepentant except for the severity of the accident, Gordon typically doesn’t act in such a fashion. He tarnished his reputation in a year of several accolades, including the NASCAR Myers Brothers Award, the Heisman Humanitarian Award and his participation in CNN’s “Hero of the Year” award show.

Outlook for 2013

It would seem that Gordon is poised to challenge for the title in 2013. With Hendrick Motorsports’ ability to adapt to rules changes and the new 2013 car, Gordon and crew chief Alan Gustafson should have all the tools necessary to get a jump on the competition.

Gordon should have an easier time making the Chase in 2013 as he continues to seek his first championship since 2001.